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DC Police Say They Issued 5 Pot Citations In First Week of New Law

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS - FEBRUARY 07: A man smokes a cigarette of marijuana in an Amsterdam cafe on 7 February 2007, Amsterdam, Netherlands. The city council in Amsterdam has recently voted in favour of introducing a citywide ban on smoking marijuana in public in areas. A successful trial ban in the De Baarsjes district of Amsterdam has been declared a success after a reduction in anti social behaviour.
(Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

(Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — Police in the District of Columbia issued five citations for marijuana possession in the first week of a new law that decriminalized possessing small amounts of marijuana.

Metropolitan Police Department spokesman Araz Alali said Thursday that five citations had been issued, though those numbers could change. He said four of the citations were issued in the city’s seventh district, the southeast part of the city. One was issued in the city’s fifth district. No other district reported issuing a citation.

The law that went into effect last Thursday replaced criminal penalties for possession of one ounce of pot with a $25 civil fine. It’s not clear how long the law will last, however. The House has approved a spending bill that includes language barring the District from implementing the law.